Bruins Can Learn Many Lessons From This Loss

Painful as it might be, UCLA should not forget Stanford too soon.

The game itself shouldn’t be dwelled upon. Once film of the 38-28 defeat has been inspected and dissected, it can forever be neglected.

But the battered Bruins can gain a measure of hope from the Cardinal, which survived a brutal three-game stretch against the cream of the Pacific 10 Conference, a stretch much like the one UCLA began in ignominious fashion Saturday.

Stanford, 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-10, fell to Washington State, 45-39, Oct. 13, a gut-wrenching game that could have precipitated a serious slide. Instead, the Cardinal rebounded to beat Oregon and UCLA, marking the first time Stanford has defeated two teams ranked in the top five back-to-back.

UCLA (6-1, 3-1) faces a similar task, visiting Washington State this Saturday and playing host to Oregon on Nov. 10. Can the Bruins rebound?

The parallel doesn’t end there.

Stanford beat UCLA with its backup quarterback, Chris Lewis, who had never won as a starter.

UCLA might have to start a backup--Scott McEwan or Ryan McCann--against Washington State. Cory Paus injured the thumb on his throwing hand in the second quarter against Stanford, and McEwan sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter.

Stanford reinvigorated its defense after giving up 87 points to Washington State and Oregon, shutting out the Bruin offense until the third quarter and holding tailback DeShaun Foster to 77 yards--half his average.

The UCLA defense was humbled by the Cardinal, which scored 11 more points in taking a 28-7 first-half lead than the Bruins had allowed in any full game.

Stanford players were roused by a fiery pregame speech from cornerback Ruben Carter, a senior who has the respect of teammates.

UCLA needs somebody to step up and restore the passion to a defense that gained rave reviews by tackling well, playing under control and keeping schemes simple.

Phil Snow, the Bruin defensive coordinator, recognized that his unit was in danger of getting shredded because intensity was lacking in practice. That, of course, is unacceptable for a team with championship aspirations.

One or more of the Bruin seniors--Kenyon Coleman, Robert Thomas, Marques Anderson, Ryan Nece, Ken Kocher--must get the team’s attention and lay it on the line. Another loss and not only is the national title game at the Rose Bowl an impossibility, so will be any top bowl game.

Stanford’s offense was successful because it was balanced, gaining 250 through the air and 213 on the ground. And the line established superiority early.

UCLA’s offense was unsuccessful because it was intimidated by Stanford’s focus on stopping Foster. The run was abandoned from the first play--a play-action pass--and the nation’s top running back was unable to get in a rhythm, gaining only 26 first-half yards.

“It was hard to get into the game, we can’t go three and out so many times,” Foster said. “Then we got behind and we couldn’t run.”

But run is what this team does best. Regardless of who is at quarterback, UCLA must establish Foster first, even against a defense determined to stop him. And the line must establish superiority early.

It’s not too late for any of this. The top of the conference standings is crowded--five teams have one loss and UCLA trails Stanford, Oregon, Washington State and Washington by a half-game.

“It’s quite possible we lost something we can’t get back,” Coach Bob Toledo said. “But the Pac-10 championship is up for grabs.

“Part of my job is to get the team to bounce back and play. We still have a chance to win a championship.”

The Bruins need only to look at Stanford for inspiration.